Policy Areas of Focus
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Education & Culture
focuses on formal and informal education from early childhood to post-secondary education and lifelong learning as well as a range of cultural institutions, including the arts, sport, media, and other cultural institutions. Research in this area focuses on enhancements in pedagogy, teacher training, and educational administration as well as improvements in the functioning and effectiveness of cultural organizations.
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Energy & Environment
research investigates the environmental effects of energy acquisition, transport, and production, as well as efforts for conservation and cleanup. Research in this area also focuses on the integration of environmental considerations into strategic development plans to support sustainable development.
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Financial Decision Making
is concerned with developing quantitative methods and decision tools to help individuals, groups, and organizations make better financial decisions.
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Health
research considers how the organization and financing of care affect choices of patients and providers of health care including costs, quality, access, and outcomes. The scope of this area includes physical health, mental health, and subjective well-being. Areas of focus include health care costs and outcomes, organizational and inter-organizational structures and processes, health insurance, health care reform, health information technology, patient decision making and behavior, and health care provider behavior.
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Justice & Ethics
encompasses issues relating to the legal system, professional and organization ethics policies and regulations, including civil and criminal justice, corrections policies, crime information, juvenile justice, international law, court system and legal practice government and industry ethics procedures, and other civil and public safety issues. Researchers provide insights relevant to policy issues such as crime definition, policing, procedures for responding to crime, resources allocation, and sentencing structures and processes.
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Management & Labor
research examines issues concerning workplace design and management, organizational governance and strategy, and workers. Specific topics include improved organizational design and incentives, effective governing boards, managerial communication and decision implementation, workforce compensation, employee-employer dispute resolution, human resource policies and practices, unions, and workplace safety and health.
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Technology & Innovation
research examines factors that influence individual, group, organizational, and societal innovation and the development and deployment of technology. Specific topics include the effects of new technology on communication, privacy, and productivity; the influence of policy on innovation; and individual and organizational situational effects on creativity, invention, innovation, as well as innovation diffusion and adoption.